Class 10 Social Science Chapter 1 Solutions – Power Sharing | Political Science | NCERT | CBSE Board | English Medium

Class 10 Social Science Chapter 1 – Power Sharing Solutions | NCERT | CBSE Board (English Medium)

Class 10 Social Science Chapter 1 – Power Sharing (NCERT Solutions for CBSE Board – English Medium)

This chapter from Democratic Politics – II (Political Science) explains the concept of power sharing in a democracy and why it is essential for political stability and social harmony. It discusses various forms of power sharing such as horizontal, vertical, and community-based sharing with real-world examples.

✅ What You Will Learn:

• The importance of power sharing in maintaining peace and preventing conflicts
• Different forms of power sharing – among branches of government, between levels of government, and among social groups
• Examples of power sharing from India, Belgium, and Sri Lanka
• How power sharing promotes democratic values and inclusiveness
• Challenges faced in power sharing in diverse societies

🎯 Ospin Academy Advantages:

• Complete NCERT Solutions for Political Science Chapter 1 – Power Sharing
• Prepared as per CBSE Class 10 Board Exam 2025 guidelines
• Stepwise answers to short and long questions for exam preparation
• Relevant examples and case studies for better understanding
• Includes previous year board exam questions with solutions

Chapter 1

Power Sharing

Q.1 What are the different forms of power sharing in modern democracies? Give an example of each of these.

Ans.: Four different forms of power sharing among the modern democracies:

1) Power is divided horizontally among the three branches of the government to keep a check on each other. The three branches of government are:

a. Executive,

b. Legislature and

c. Judiciary

e.g., The Parliament of India is the legislative body which keeps a check on the working of Executive and Judiciary.

2) Power is also shared at the different level of government vertically that is:

a. At the Union level,

b. At the state level and

c. At the local level

e.g., Maharashtra government is free to make laws on the matter of law and order because it does not come under the purview of central government.

3). Power is also shared among the different social groups. India is one of the most diverse country in the world, and it has various religious and linguistic groups which shares power among themselves. e.g., States in India is formed on the linguistic bases after independence.

4) In a democracy, power is also shared among the various political parties, pressure groups and movements. Democracy ensures that power should not accumulate in some hands so elections are held regularly to elect our representatives and every citizen of India has equal political rights to form a party and to contest elections.

e.g., we have a multi-party system in which we can elect anybody to rule upon us and various parties of different ideologies can come together to form the government which is known as the coalition government.

Q.2 State one prudential reason and one moral reason for power sharing with an example from the Indian context.

Ans.: 1) Prudential reason Power sharing is crucial as it helps in reducing the chances of conflict among various social groups. e.g., Reservation of women, SCs, STs and OBCs in education and jobs is the prudential reason of power sharing.

2) Moral reason Democracy with its various principles is regarded as the soul of power sharing. e.g., Power sharing at the local level (Panchayati Raj) is the moral reason of power sharing.

Q.3 After reading this chapter, there students drew different conclusions. Which of these do you agree with and why? Give your reasons in about 50 words.

Thomman: Power sharing is necessary in societies which have religious linguistic or ethnic divisions.

Mathayi: Power sharing is suitable is suitable only for big countries that have regional divisions.

Ouseph: Every society needs some form of power sharing even if it is small or does not have social divisions.

Ans.: Ouseph’s statement seems more correct and logical. Being as a citizen of this country I personally agree with his point as sharing of power not only the conflicts between various groups of our society but also

strengthens the national unity. This power sharing results in upholding the spirit of our democracy.

Q.4 The Mayor of Merchtem, a town near Brussels in Belgium, has defended a ban on speaking French in the town’s schools. He said that the ban would help all non-Dutch speakers integrate in this Flemish town. Do you think that this measure is in keeping with the spirit of Belgium’s power sharing arrangements? Give your reasons in about 50words.

Ans.: The measure that is being taken by the Mayor of Merchtem is not in keeping with the spirit of Belgium’s division of power sharing. Belgium’s form of government is always being considered as an example of best community government and this measure will not maintain peace between the French and Dutch speaking communities. Putting ban on speaking French will cause civil unrest. The best and better way to integrate the people of town is that both the languages should be made acceptable in the town’s schools to make it a bilingual educational system.

Q.5 Read the following passage and pick out any one of the prudential reasons for power sharing offered in this.

“We need to give more power to the panchayats to realize the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the hops of the markers of our Constitution. Panchayati Raj establishes true democracy. It restores power to the only place where power belongs in a democracy- in the hands of the people. Giving power to panchayats is also a way to reduce corruption and increase administrative efficiency. When people participate in the planning and implementation of developmental schemes, they would naturally exercise greater control over these schemes. This would eliminate the corrupt middlemen. Thus, Panchayati Raj will strengthen the foundations of our democracy.”

Ans.: “When people participate in the planning and implementation of developmental schemes, they would naturally exercise greater control over these schemes. This would eliminate the corrupt middlemen.” This is the prudential reason for power sharing offered in the given passage. We know that the main reason for power sharing is that it reduces the possibility of conflicts between various social groups and gives more powers to the panchayats which helps maintain the political stability.

Q.6 Different arguments are usually put forth in favor of and against power sharing identify those which are in favor of power sharing and select the answer using the codes given below? Power sharing:

A) reduces conflict among different communities

B) decreases the possibility of arbitrariness

C) delays decision-making process

D) accommodates diversities

E) increases instability and divisiveness

F) promotes people’s participation in government

G) undermines the unity of a country

A. A, B, D, F

B. A, C, E, F

C. A, B, D, G

D. B, C, D, G

Ans.: The points which are in favor of power sharing are: A, B, D and F as these all points truly talking about the sharing of power between various social groups. Therefore option (a) is correct

Q.7 Consider the following statements about power sharing arrangements in Belgium and Sri Lanka:

A) In Belgium, the Dutch-speaking majority people tried to impose them to impose their domination on the minority French-speaking community. B) In Sri Lanka, the policies of the government sought to ensure the dominance of the Sinhala-speaking majority.

C) The Tamils in Sri Lanka demanded a federal arrangement of power sharing to protect their culture, language and equality of opportunity in education and jobs.

D) The transformation of Belgium from unitary government to a federal one prevented a possible division of the country on linguistic lines. Which of the statements given above are correct?

A. A, B, C and D

B. A, B and D

C. C and D

D. B, C and D

Ans.: In the above given statements the options B, C and D are correct because in both the countries the government works as the community government for its citizens. And we know that community government is that form of government which is for a particular language or culture and has the power regarding cultural, educational and other language related issues. Hence, option (d) is correct

Q.8 Match List I (Forms of power Sharing) with List II (forms of government) and select the correct answer using the codes given below in the lists:

	List I	List II
1.	Power Shared among different organs of government.	A. Community government.
2.	Power shared among government at different levels.	B. Fedral government

3.	Power shared by different social groups.	C. Coalition Government
4.	Power shared by two or more political parties.	D. Federal Government

A. 1-D, 2-A, 3-B, 4-C

B. 1-B, 2-C, 3-D, 4-A

C. 1-B, 2-D, 3-A, 4-C

D. 1-C, 2-D, 3-A, 4-B

Answer :

The correct option is (C)

The following table shows the correct matches:

	List I	List II
1.	Power Shared among different organs of government.	B. Fedral government
2.	Power shared among government at different levels.	D. Federal Government
3.	Power shared by different social groups.	A. Community government.
4.	Power shared by two or more political parties.	C. Coalition Government

Q.9 Consider the following two statements on power sharing and select the answer using the codes given below:

A) Power sharing is good for democracy.

B) It helps reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.

Which of these statements are true and false?

A. A is true but B is false

B. Both A and B are true

C. Both A and B are false

D. A is false But B is true

Ans.: Above given both the points are true as or any democratic country it is necessary to share its powers between various groups which maintains its stability and this sharing also reduces the possibilities of conflicts between various social groups.

Hence, option (b) is correct

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